First self-injectable HIV antibody may prevent virus transmission

The first self-injectable HIV antibody, PRO 140, has a 98 percent success rate in reducing the virus in HIV patients’ blood, according to results released from a Phase 2b clinical trial of the drug. PRO 140 works by blocking the HIV co-receptor CCR5 on T-cells, protecting healthy cells from viral infection. One dose a week has been shown to effectively reduce viral loads by nearly 100 fold, according to a news release. In a monotherapy study, researchers found that some HIV patients who used PRO 140 had a completely suppressed viral load, meaning they saw the amount of HIV in their blood eliminated, for about 11 months. The transmission rate for HIV drops to nearly zero if a patient’s viral load is completely suppressed. HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, destroys T cells, a type of white blood cell vital to fighting infection. Individuals with compromised immune systems are then vulnerable to other infections,...